What did women do in the middle ages other than be housewives?
Well, most women in those days did marry, but being a ‘housewife’ in those days was a very much more demanding job than it is now. Most people in those days were at least partly self-sufficient, and the woman’s role in production of food, clothing and other household items was vital. A housewife would be expected to not just cook the food, but preserve food to last throught he winter (when very little fresh food was available). Most people in those days lived in the country, and supported themselves by farming, and the farmer’s wife would be in charge of the poultry and the dairy. She would rear the poultry, milk the cows, and make her own butter and cheese. She would sell her surplus chickens, eggs, butter and cheese at market. She would brew the ale which people drank instead of water. Women would brew ale for their own home use, and also sell it. Every village had two or three ‘ale wives’ who would sell their ale to the other villagers. Housewives would also spend a good deal of the
